"I want rematches" - Petr Yan outlines plan to avenge losses against Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili next
Petr Yan snapped a three-game losing skid and returned to the win column with a unanimous decision victory over Song Yadong at UFC 299 last month. The No.4-ranked bantamweight recently revealed that he hopes to avenge his previous two losses, which came against Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.
Speaking to Gorilla Fighting, 'No Mercy' stated, in Russian:
"I want rematches. I told you, it's going to be rematch season. With Song, he wanted to take mine. I'm interested in Sean O'Malley, Merab Dvalishvili. I'm not interested in Aljamain Sterling. He's a different weight. There's no point in talking about it now. These two rematches and plus, I'm interested in Marlon Vera. Guys who are in the top five."
When asked why Henry Cejudo isn't on his list of targets, Yan responded:
"I'm only interested in fighters who are in the rankings where I am... I don't know where he is [ranked] now. He's out of the question right now, but if it's of interest, we'll look into it.
Check out Petr Yan's comments on rematching Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili below:
Yan had lost three consecutive bouts before his UFC 299 victory over Yadong. The skid began with a split-decision title bout loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273. He fell via controversial split decision to O'Malley at UFC 280, despite most fans, fighters, and media outlets scoring the bout in his favor. 'No Mercy' was then dominated by Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC Fight Night 221, losing all five rounds via unanimous decision.
Petr Yan weighs in on Sean O'Malley mocking him at UFC 299 press conference
Petr Yan and Sean O'Malley shared the stage at the UFC 299 press conference as both bantamweights competed on the main card. 'Suga' could be seen putting his thumb down as he walked past 'No Mercy' before claiming that his UFC 280 opponent was destined to compete in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
The No.4-ranked bantamweight was asked about O'Malley's actions, responding:
"If I had seen that we would have had a fight... For Sean, the UFC is everything. It's not everything to me. I don't have the attitude that I overvalue it and I don't see myself in other organizations. MMA is not everything to me."
Check out Petr Yan's comments on Sean O'Malley below:
While Yan hopes to avenge his controversial loss to O'Malley, he will likely need at least one more victory before receiving another title opportunity. Despite suffering a torn ACL and meniscus during his UFC 299 bout with Song Yadong, the No.4-ranked bantamweight revealed that he is hoping to return before the end of the year, accepting a challenge from Marlon 'Chito' Vera.